Justin Timberlake’s ‘Man of the Woods’ Knocks Migos Out of No. 1

February 12, 2018

Despite mixed reviews, the pop star’s latest album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 with the equivalent of 293,000 sales in the U. S.
When Justin Timberlake released “The 20/20 Experience” five years ago, after years of anticipation by fans, the album opened with 968,000 sales and went on to become 2013’s top seller.For his latest, “ Man of the Woods ” (RCA), which mingles some countryish vibes with his pop and funk, Mr. Timberlake once again kept his fans waiting. But after mixed reviews of the album and of his Super Bowl performance, and without a big hit single, the album’s opening was less of a blockbuster, with the equivalent of 293,000 sales in the United States, according to Nielsen. That includes 242,000 copies sold of the complete album and 55 million streams.Still, that was more than enough to give Mr. Timberlake his fourth No. 1, and aside from Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” — which opened with more than a million sales — it had the best start of any album since Pink’s “Beautiful Trauma” in October.Also this week, Migos’s “Culture II,” last week’s top album, fell to No. 2 with the equivalent of 88,000 sales — virtually all of that tally from streaming, with 117 million streams last week and fewer than 6,000 copies of the album sold.The soundtrack to “The Greatest Showman” fell one spot to No. 3, Ed Sheeran’s “÷” is in fourth place, and Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic” is No. 5.